


Holiday in Las Vegas

by theDah



Series: WIP works [2]
Category: Rurouni Kenshin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Las Vegas Wedding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-14 04:05:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16905786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theDah/pseuds/theDah
Summary: It all started with a girl. Sporty, friendly, if not all that pretty - but her smile got his best friend laughing. For anyone else that might not sound like a big deal, but for Sano, it justified every further decision he made just to keep them talking. Even truly bad ones inspired by the liberal amount of booze. And shots. Let’s not forget the shots.





	Holiday in Las Vegas

**Author's Note:**

> This is an older WIP fic that I once posted to Tumblr and never had the time to continue.

Kenshin woke to a splitting headache. The pain felt like someone was smashing a hammer between his eyes in step with his heartbeat. Worse than that, he couldn’t quite grasp where he was, or how he had gotten there. However, the loud rumbling snore that was grating away the last of his patience he could recognize anywhere.

And sure there it was, lying right next to him: the unconscious, slobbering form of his best friend Sano, shirtless as was the younger man’s habit and reeking of smoke and booze. The joy. Kenshin sighed tiredly and rubbed his brow. Not that it helped; his eyes were dry, his throat sore and given the evidence, there wasn’t a single doubt as to why.

For whatever reason, he had agreed to go drinking with Sano. But what crisis in the unemployed bum’s life could merit these measures?

Had Megumi dumped Sano again?

Kenshin frowned, the nagging sense of recognition tingling just out of reach. That would almost fit the pattern, as it were. These last few years he had witnessed the beautiful medical student, now a doctor Takani Megumi dumping Sano every few months. What he hadn’t quite grasped was why she always took him back…  Well, maybe he had.

After all, they weren’t a bad match, per se.

The attraction was there in plenty, and Sano’s easygoing nature and tenacity weathered Megumi-san’s vicious temper with ease. No, if they could manage to get past their glaring differences, if Sano could figure a proper occupation, step out of his freeloading habits and bachelor lifestyle and simply grow up… It was perfectly possible for those two to become more than lovers.

“And if one would get a yen for each wish, this one would be a rich man by now, that he would.” Kenshin groaned and heaved himself to stand, leaning against the wall when his feet didn’t feel quite steady enough. “And next time, this one will say no before Sano starts ordering shots. Gods!”

Huffing in annoyance, he wobbled to the bathroom, dodging the clothes thrown haphazardly to the thick carpet. Some fifteen minutes and hundred gallons of water later, he finally was starting to feel remotely like a human being. It was the warmth of a shower and the feel of cleanliness, mainly.

That, and having thrown up the last of the booze lurching in his gut.

Just how much alcohol had Sano gotten him to drink again?

Worth a small fortune, that was for sure. And unfortunately, it didn’t seem the drinks were even the worst of it, given how fancy the hotel room was. Inwardly cringing, Kenshin trailed his eyes on the soft, embroidered bathing robe, the spacious bathroom with finest marble counter, stylish ceramic floor tiling, and shiny bathtub… No, there wasn’t even the slightest of a doubt who was going to pay for all this shit.

Well, thankfully he had some savings after he had pretty much buried himself in his work to cope with his wife’s death. True, the administrative work for a charity organization didn’t exactly pay gold for the employees, but he lived modestly and didn’t have any vices or friends to spend it on.

Anyone else but Sano, that is.

Funny how both of those words worked to describe the snoring man lying in the king-sized bed. Kenshin scoffed a laugh and begun collecting the clothes from the floor, idly sorting through them. His friend’s garment he neatly folded and laid aside on the sofa, and his own… Hmm, the smell of booze and whatnot still stuck to the fabric rather unpleasantly. Sure, he could wear them, if he absolutely had to. Well, at least the suit jacket. But they were in a hotel room, so surely their bags had to be here somewhere?

Ah, yes, right where any reasonable person would put them.

Both of their bags were unpacked, their contents put aside properly in the wardrobe. The shirts and jackets were hung properly, the trousers set neatly on the shelves, exactly like he preferred. However, if one took into account the size of the bags, the choice of clothing, the fact that he had clearly bothered to put up Sano’s garments as well… This all led to one uncomfortable conclusion: he had known of this trip in advance and had planned it to last a week, with two days extension allowed by the number of extra underwear.

Kenshin noted this all with a slight surprise. Not the fact that he had cleaned after Sano, no, he did that often enough. But that he had knowingly and willingly agreed to pay for a week-long trip to here…? Glancing around helplessly, the dread kept piling in his gut and he wobbled to the window, pulled back the thick curtains: the tall towers, the flashing signs of casinos, the high traffic, the desert in the horizon.

He swallowed numbly, his throat gone dry. Because this could no other place than…

“Las Vegas. Oh god, I’m in Las Vegas with Sano.”

Fucking hell, just how harshly had Megumi dumped Sano again?!

 

* * *

 

In all honesty, if he stayed in this hotel room for one more minute, he wasn’t sure what he would do. Punching Sano in the face had started to seem a far too appealing choice. Well, that or calling Megumi and letting her do the yelling.

But the fact was, no matter how angry he was… he wasn’t that petty of a person.

In the end, he just pulled on the first clothes he could find from his side of the wardrobe, grabbed his wallet and the plastic card that could only be the keycard to this hotel room and escaped.

His stomach didn’t exactly approve of the elevator ride to the first floor, but it wasn’t like he had anything left to throw up. At the lobby, his headache took a sudden turn to worse; the light, the noise, all the people around him speaking English with nearly incomprehensible accents… For fucks sake, of course, they would speak English - he was in Las Vegas! He barely managed to swallow the hysterical laugh bubbling in his gut, and leaned against the marble wall between the staircases and elevators to steady himself.

What the hell was he even doing here?

Yes, he knew English, he could speak it well enough to be understood and he did have the Visa. Of course, he had to have it - his work needed him to visit the US branch every now and then and it was easier to renew it continuously. But gods, Las Vegas! Closing his eyes, he counted backwards from ten, trying to gather his nerves.

“Mr. Sagara?” A concerned voice asked nearby, the accent and choice of address pure Japanese. The touch of a home was enough to startle him, and he raised his gaze to meet the startlingly blue eyes of a pretty young woman.

“Oro?”

“It is you, Mr. Sagara!” She smiled, obviously relieved, “I didn’t expect you to remember our meeting!”

Blinking in befuddlement, Kenshin gaped. What meeting? Mr. Sagara? Had she mistaken him for Sano? He had never seen this woman before!

“Miss, my pardons, but -” he started to correct her, but of sudden a flash of memory caught him. Those eyes were sparkling with mirth as she listened to him, feverishly scribbling down notes. Her cheerfully colorful drink sat mostly untouched on the cluttered table.

“…Mr. Sagara?” She frowned, her head tilted to a side. “Please take no offense, but you don’t look too good. Have you had any breakfast yet?”

“Well, no - ” Kenshin stammered, completely at a loss of how to react. This was too strange, what should he do? However, it seemed his fumbling was enough of an agreement and she spun around, calling over her shoulder invitingly, “well come on then, it’s my treat!”

Staring helplessly after her, he paused in indecision. While it would be safe to say that this morning was the most bizarre one in his life, at least this woman seemed to have some answers to the mess he found himself in. Besides, her pretty smile didn’t make the idea of breakfast together exactly a hardship.

So steadfastly he ignored his hesitations, his uncertainties and turned to follow her. To his surprise, she didn’t take him to the hotel’s own bistro like he had assumed, but to a small cafe right across the street. Her explanation was light, thrown offhandedly over her shoulder just like the invitation. “After last night, the heavy western breakfast is a little bit too much.”

Given that she didn’t exactly look hung-over, this choice was all for his benefit and Kenshin accepted it with mild embarrassment. Still, after a glass of juice and baked cinnamon rolls had steadied his stomach and the pounding headache somewhat, the cup of coffee felt rather heavenly. She hadn’t felt the need to chat or ask any questions while he ate, simply choosing to sip her own coffee and check her phone.

He couldn’t even tell how grateful he was for her kindness. However, now that the worst was past, there were questions to be asked and a misperception to be cleared. “My pardons, Miss - but this unworthy one cannot quite recall how we met, that he can’t.”

She raised her brow in surprise, “Mr. Sagara, surely you didn’t have that much to drink -”

The heated blush rose to color his cheeks, and he rubbed his neck in embarrassment, “Ah, well… unfortunately, that’s the case. Also, it’s Himura Kenshin, not Sagara. Sagara was the name of my friend, that it was.”

“Oh, that’s what you agreed on,” she nodded and blushed as well, “ Sorry, it was quite hectic last night, I must have gotten confused.“

“No, no! There is no harm done, that there isn’t!” He rushed to apologize, feeling even more awkward by his rudeness. She had been nothing but kind and courteous towards him, even in circumstances such as this. To treat her with less would be despicable. “Please, it’s all right. However, this unworthy one doesn’t yet recall your name, Miss…?”

“Kamiya. Kaoru Kamiya.” The smile that rose to her lips did some strange alchemy to her face, transforming her homey looks to something far rarer than beauty.

His breath caught, and he swallowed softly. He had met his share of beautiful women. Hell, all too many of them seemed to find him a good catch back at home. But for all their lingering looks and flirting comments, he hadn’t ever managed to muster more than what politeness required in turn. He knew why, there was something broken in him, the wounds  _her_  death had left him all those years ago still too sore to think of anything more.

“Miss Kamiya,” he nodded slowly, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, that it is.”

Her smile widened to a grin, a delighted laugh escaping her lips. “Likewise, Mister Himura.”

The corners of his lips tugged upwards. It felt strange, but everything about this mess felt strange and he was so thoroughly out of his comfort zone, of his safe routines that there wasn’t anything else he could do but go along with it. “Please, after such trouble, Kenshin will do just fine.”

“Then you must call me Kaoru,” she demanded, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Your wish is my command, my lady,” he agreed, the cheesy joke slipping past his reserve with ease. The light feeling in his chest was spreading all over, and he smiled, utterly charmed, “Say, this one can remember you having that notebook last night, that is so.” He nodded to her open bag lying next to her on the coffee shop’s bench.

“Ah, this one?” She grinned, pulling out a book with a colorful flower print on it. “Most of my colleagues prefer working on tablets or phones, but I rather like to write my notes by hand. Perhaps it’s inefficient and far from polished, but I do rewrite all my text at home afterwards, so I don’t see anything wrong with it. Besides, it isn’t like anyone else would read my research notes.”

“Ah, that’s true, so it is.” Kenshin nodded, easily understanding her point. He couldn’t even name all the people who had suggested different organizational applications to him after seeing his stacks of notes filled with tiny, nearly incomprehensible speedwriting. “It all comes down the results, that it does. The technology makes things easier, yes. However, the old-fashioned way has its own charm, and perhaps comfort as well.”

“That’s it exactly!” She grinned, her delight nearly infectious.

The pride of having pleased her so obviously made something flutter at the pit of his stomach, and it felt good. A bit too good, even. So he leaned backwards, and sipped the dregs of his cold coffee just to hide behind the ceramic and gestures. After all, it wasn’t exactly proper to show his enjoyment, they had only just met.

“Speaking of which, what brought you here, Miss Kaoru? The work?” He asked lightly, just to keep her talking, from paying too much notice to his awkwardness. He was a thirty-six years old widower, not a schoolboy on his first lunch with a girl. Yes, it might have been ten years, but he wasn’t  _completely_ ignorant.

“Oh, no - but I thought -” She gasped, the smile slipped away from her expressive features like it had never been there. Before he could curse himself for being a fool, or apologize, she swept a hand over her eyes and sighed tiredly. “I’m terribly sorry, I really should have explained myself better. I’m a reporter, and I met you and your friend last night. After some talk, you both agreed to be interviewed for an article I am writing.”

“An article for a magazine?” Kenshin blinked, completely surprised. “What about, that is?”

He was a perfectly ordinary salaryman, not interesting to say the least and Sano, the freeloading bachelor bum, was even worse. No, the only thing that he could imagine to be worth an article was the fact that they were both Japanese tourists here in the city for the very first time. But surely that wasn’t in anyway noteworthy? And while Miss Kaoru spoke fluent Japanese with Kanto accent and her magazine had to be one published at home, why would they…

"Well, the marriage law reform, obviously.“ She bit her lip anxiously, "It’s big step forward in equality, especially compared to how things are back in Japan. To be honest, I was really lucky to run across you two on my third day here. I mean, my the travel funds allow me to stay for one week only. Or, maybe a couple days extra, if I am really careful about my spending… but I kind of wanted to do a series of interviews, not only on the big day but also some follow-ups. How it feels, does it change things between you…” She trailed off, growing more hesitant the longer his silence continued.

This time, the panic rising in his chest had nothing to do with his absent memories. No, her explanation had stirred enough recollection for him to be utterly terrified by what he  _did_  remember. His throat went dry, he swallowed and finally asked the question he really should have started with. “Miss Kamiya… just what did I do yesterday?”

She paused, before smiling softly. Then she leaned forward and gently, ever so gently took a hold of his hand, “Kenshin, last night you got married.”

Even the roaring panic couldn’t stop him from hearing the truth in those words, and he closed his eyes, ”…to whom, exactly?“

Her eyes were so kind, ever if her lips whispered to him his worst nightmare.

“To your partner, Sanosuke-san.”

**Author's Note:**

> AN: So this got inspired by the delightful idea that got around tumbrl after the US law change, on how the “vegas weddings” could happen to a pair of male friends. Here.  
> I instantly thought of Sano and Kenshin. Surprise. ^^*


End file.
